Casing elevator



June 26, 1923.

J- D. GIBBS CASING ELEVATOR w my. 8

lllill Patented June 26, 1923,

JAMES D. GIBBS, O15 LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY.

casino ELEVATOR.

Ap pfication filed December 2, 1921. Serial No. 519,452.

To all, whom it may concern:

Be it known that LJAMns D. Glens, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Louisville Kentucky, have invented certain new, and useful Improvementsin Casing Elevators, of which the following a speci- .fication.

My present invention relates to improvements in what are known as casing'elevw tors, or devices for lifting the casing tubes or pipes used in connection with the drill ing of oil wells. 1

The invention aims to provide a simple,

economical, and durable form of apparatus which may be inserted in and rig dly connected to the pipe in an expeditious manner to enable it to be lifted and which may be readily detached therefrom and the invention includes the novel features'of construction and arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter described and particularly defined by the appended claims.

An embodiment of my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in Which-- i ing bosses or trunnions 2 towhich the arms of the lifting bale 4: are pivotally connected.

Preferably the upper portion of the body 1 is provided with a shoulder 1 upon which is seated a washer 5 against which the lower face of the lmemberv 2"bears.g The body member is provided at its lower end with a head 1? which is designed to support the radially movable hangers or carrying members 6 whichsupportthe slip grip wedges 17 hereinafter more particularly described.

The carrier members or hangers 6, of which there are preferably four as shown in Fig. 2, are provided with inclined inner faces which form a four-sided converging recess in which works an expanding wedge the hanger '7 of corresponding shape in cross section which has an upwardly extending shank 7 guided in a tubular vertical passage in the head and body 1. v

The shank Whats a transverse recess v7 through which passes a key 8 which slid-" ably engages transverse key-ways formed in the portion of the body or carrier member lying just above the head 1, such key-way. being indicatedat 1.

body or carrier member 2 is provided with This portion of the external threadsand encircled by the in ternally threaded hub of a hand wheel .8

which has an annular internal reoessn8 formed by a removable flanged portion 8* into which. recess the ends ofv the key proect.

or. up on the threaded portion and hence through its engagement withthe key to force the wedge 7 downwardly toexpand arms or upwardly to allow them to contract. i

The preferred manner of support of the hanger arms is clearly shown in Fig. Lin

which the head is provided with an annular internal recess 1 and thehanger arms are By this construction rotation of the". hand wheel Will cause its hub to screw down provided with annular-1y inturned upper ends 6 which engage thisrecess, the upper faces of thehanger arms being rounded, as shown, to permit a rocking movement under theaction of the wedge. I preferto provide for a radially sliding movement to the upper ends of the hanger members in addition to a limited amount of rocking movement and to this end provide springs 9zwhich are seated in, recesses in the radially projecting portions of the hangers and which bear at their innerends against the bottoms ofsuch recesses andat their other endsagainst re-.

movable screw plugs 1 i The lower ends of the hanger member 6 are retained in position by a cap member 10 which has a recessed upper face providing a ring shaped part or flange i0 within whlch the lowerv ends of the hanger members loosely he, the cap being retained inposition bypins 1.0 carried by screw'plugs 10 and engaging corresponding recesses inthe lower ends of the hanger members. Such recesses are countersunk and the pins are encircled by springs 11 which tend to force the lower ends of the hanger members towards each other. The outer faces of the lower portions of the hanger members are provided with inclined portions preferably of "step forma tion against which lie the corresponding incllned step faces of'the sllp wedge members 17. The sllp wedges have lugs l" whlch project into grooves 17 in the lower-most incllnedfaces of the members and guide pins 17 pass through openings in these lugs and enter recesses in the hanger members and serve to retain the slip wedges in position and guide them in their vertical movement. The pins at their lower ends are-supported by threaded heads 1O screwed into threaded countersunk recesses in the hanger members and are encircled by helion: springs which tend to normally press the slip wedges upwardly.

From the foregoingdescription it is be lieved that the operation of my improved liftingdevice will be readily apparent but it, may be briefly stated as-follows:

11V hena casing or tubeis to be lifted the lowerlportion of the device, including the slip wedges and'hanger arms, is inserted into the tube until the upper end of the tube, or thecoupling thereof, reaches or rests in the annular space i whereupon the hand wheel isrotated to. force the wedge 7 down- WardIy to separate or spread the hanger arms until the slip wedges engage the inner surfaces of thepipei Liftin power being now, applied "to the bail, 4-, the corresponding movement isximparted tor the pipe and if the frictional engagement, due to MIG/EXP ansion of the wedge, is not suilicient or if there is any tendency for slippage, this 1 will take place between the wedges and the hanger members due to th'cirin'clined or wedge bearingthereon'and such slippage will force the wedges outwardly into tighter engagement with the innerv surface of. the pipe.

Preferably the-slip wedges are provided with upwardly inclined gripping teeth as shown.

Under ordlna-ry circumstances the reverse movement of the wedge 7 will permit the device to be readily disengaged from the pipe, but to enable the device to be conveniently jarred to loosen it in case it should stick I preferably provide the clamping member?) with an upwardly extending sleeve 3 in which is slidably mounted atubular hammer member 1% provided with a handle position.

Having thus described my invention, what I claimis: I

1*. In a device of the class described, a carrier member, radially movable members supported thereby, means for" moving said hangers dependin acting inc-lined stepped faces slidably en said stepped faces, and means for moving said radially movable members.

3.. in a device of the class described, a: carrier member, radially movable members connected' therewith having stepped inclined .iaces, gripping members supported by said radially movable members and having coacting inclined faces slidablyengaging saic stepped faces, and spring means for pressing said gripping members in one direction.

4a. In a device of the class described, a carrier member, a plurality of radially movable g therefrom, having inclined stepped faces, spring pressed gripper members having correspondingly ii cli'ned faces slidably engaging the inclined faces of said hangers, and wedge means for imparting radial movement to thehangers.

5. In combination, a carriermember have a tubular passage-anda head provided .11 an annularrecess,'z t plurality of hangers having inclined inner faces and having outwardly extending'fianges at their upper ends engaging said annular recess, grlpper devices carried by said hangers, an'enpandingwedge cooperating with the inclined faces of the hangers and having a shank located in said tubular recess, and meansfor imparting vertical movement to said shank.

6. In combination, a carrier mezhberfiQhaving a tubular passage and a head provided with an annular recess, a plurality o'fhangers having inclined inner faces and having outwardly extending flanges at their upper ends engaging said annular recess, springs interposed between the said flanges and the wall" of the recess,;gripper devices carried by saidhangers, an expanding wedge-cooperating with the-inclined faces of the tubular recess, and meansfor imparting vertical movement to said shank.

v 7. In combination,a carrier membe'rhav- 'ing a hollow part provided with afdepen'ding head, radially movable hangers carried by said head carrying pipe gripping-means, wedge means for moving said hangershaving a shank extending into said hollow part, said shankhavinga key passage and said hollow part ascrew threaded exterior and transverse lreyways aligning withf's'aiddrey passage, a nut threaded on said screw threaded exterior, and having anfannular internal grooveand a key located in said key passage and keyways and having its ends seated in said groove.

8.'In combination, a carrier' member, a

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hangers and having a shanklocated in said collar fast thereon having trunnions, a bail pivotally connected with said trunnions, a

nut threaded on the upper end of the car- I rier member for clamping said collar and having a tubular extension, radially movable hangers supported by said carrier mem-- her, and carrying pipe gripping means, wedge means for operating said hangers, and an impact device slidably carried by said tubular extension for jarring the gripping means loose from the pipe.

9. In combination, a carrier member, pipe gripping means supported thereby, wedge means for operating said gripping means, and an impact device slidably carried by said carrier member.

10. In combination, a carrier member, a plurality of annularly arranged hangers loosely supported therefrom and having inclined inner faces, a wedge cooperating with said inner faces with means for operating the same, an element having a ring shaped part encircling the lower ends of said hangers, pins carried by said ring shaped part slidably engaging recesses in said hangers, said hangers having inclined outer faces, gripper devices having inclined faces slidably held to the faces of the hangers, and

springs interposed between said grippers and saidring shaped part.

11.'In combination, a carrier member, a plurality of annularly arranged hangers loosely supported therefrom and having inclined inner faces, a wedge cooperating with saidinner faces with means for operating the same, an element having a ring shaped part encircling the lower ends of said hangers, pins carried by said ring shaped part slidably engaging recesses in said hangers, said hangers having inclined stepped outer faces, gripper blocks having correspondingly stepped inclined faces, said hangers having vertical grooves and said blocks hava ing lugs engaging said grooves, guide pins passing through openings in the lugs and held to the hangers, a ring shaped part encircling the lower ends of the hangers and with which they are yieldably connected, and springs encircling the guide pins be tween the lugs and said ring shaped part.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

JAMES D. GIBBS.

WVitnesses:

H. H, FRE-NKE, L. W. Wanna. 

